


lean to my wound; burn on, burn on

by rurokun



Category: Bleach
Genre: BAMF Inoue Orihime, Emotional Infidelity, F/M, Light Angst, Minor Inoue Orihime/Kurosaki Ichigo - Freeform, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26629159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rurokun/pseuds/rurokun
Summary: They sit in a thoughtful silence until Orihime asks, “Why did we do it, then?”Rukia furrows her eyebrows. “Do what, exactly?”“Why did we marry them if we didn’t love them anymore?”
Relationships: Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo, Ulquiorra Cifer/Inoue Orihime (mentioned)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	lean to my wound; burn on, burn on

**Author's Note:**

> i've been sitting on this idea for a while so here ya go. sorry if you hate the hypothetical pairing, im UH trash till the day i die. 
> 
> title is from 'firesong' by sylvia plath

“Alright, I’ll be back by dinner.” 

“Have fun, don’t let Rukia keep you out too late,” Ichigo says, lending her a shoulder to keep her balance as she finishes with the strappy sandal. 

“Don’t worry, my love,” Orihime says, smiling softly, giving her husband a kiss. She grabs her coat and purse, then heads out. 

* * *

“I’ve been having a funny thought, lately. Or I guess, a few funny thoughts?” Orihime starts to worry her lip with her teeth, and tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. 

“You know that I would never try to judge you,” Rukia replies, giving her a reassuring smile. The younger woman looks at her before taking a steady breath. 

“I’ve been thinking about Ulquiorra.”

The mention of his name causes Rukia’s eyes to widen, but she can tell how difficult this is for Orihime to talk about. The look in her eyes, the wringing of her hands, as if she is preparing herself for judgement. So Rukia inhales, exhales. 

“How so?”

Orihime takes another steady breath. “Sometimes… I think about the concept of soulmates and wonder if he was mine.” 

Rukia could not have predicted this even if she sat down and pondered every possibility. Soulmates? With a person, _a hollow,_ who was killed by her husband so many years ago? It should be impossible.

And yet, the itch in the back of Rukia’s mind, the one she so desperately tried to stamp down, ignore, drown — flares back up like a lighthouse on the edge of the shore.

_Ichigo, Ichigo, Ichigo._

“Rukia-san?”

Her name jolts her back to the present. “I-I’m sorry. I became lost in my own mind.” 

Orihime looks at her with a soft smile. It ages her. “It’s alright. I know how thoughtful Rukia-san is, so I’m sure you started self-reflecting.” 

Rukia has the decency to look ashamed, but not surprised. “I would be a complete fool to underestimate you, Orihime.” 

The kind words make the younger woman blush. They sit in a thoughtful silence until Orihime asks, “Why did we do it, then?”

Rukia furrows her eyebrows. “Do what, exactly?” 

“Why did we marry them if we didn’t love them anymore?”

Now it was Rukia’s turn to blush, but this time from embarrassment. It was unspoken for so long until this moment, and Orihime did not even stumble over her own words. They were past the point of no return and although it was terrifying, they both felt a weight fall off their shoulders. They could finally let go of the breath they had been holding for so long. 

To answer Orihime’s question, Rukia replied, “Perhaps, it was easier. We do come from completely different worlds.” 

“But what about Ichigo’s own parents?” Orihime asked, and Rukia almost curses her for being so quick.

“That was _different._ That was a life or death situation.”

“Isn’t that what you did for each other?”

Rukia blushes again, because the younger woman isn’t wrong. She would be foolish to try and argue that fact.

“I-I suppose you’re right,” Rukia whispered, biting her lip out of worry. 

The two women sit in another thoughtful silence while they finish their coffee and scones. This time, it’s Rukia who speaks.

“What do we do now?” Her voice has never sounded so small before. Orihime takes a last sip of her coffee before answering the question.

“What do _you_ want to do?” 

Rukia looks ashamed as her eyes swell with tears. “I-I don’t know.” 

Orihime smiles and reaches her hand out for Rukia to take. “It’s alright. We’re in this together, yeah?”

Rukia lets out a nervous laugh before reaching for Orihime’s hand. “Aren’t I supposed to be the calm and collected one?” 

“Well, I may have learned a thing about ‘calm and collected’ from a wise old lady,” Orihime says, giving Rukia a cheeky smile. 

“Oi, we’ve _both_ gotten old, alright?"

* * *

By the time Orihime makes it back home, the sky is just starting to get dark, the edges tinged soft pink. She opens the door to the wonderful smell of curry and vegetables. 

Ichigo pops his head from the kitchen. "Hey, just in time. I was about to call Kazui to set up the table." 

"That's alright, honey. I'm already here, so I don't mind setting it."

Her husband gives her a warm smile before putting the finishing touches on the meal. Orihime calls for Kazui as she sets up the plates and cutlery, while Ichigo takes the food to the table. Kazui makes his way downstairs, giving his mother a quick kiss on the cheek and a 'welcome home.' He then helps by bringing a pitcher of water and three glasses. 

The cacophony of dinner sounds makes her think again. _This is what happiness is, right? Aren't I happy?_

"So," Ichigo says as they all start serving themselves, "how was the coffee date?"

"It was wonderful. Rukia and her family are all doing well."

"Good, good. She always tells me that she's fine, but she's always been more open with you about things like that."

_Ah, that's an understatement._

Their dinner continues peacefully. Kazui talks about his day at school, Ichigo talks about his patients. Orihime is glad that her husband does not ask anymore questions about her coffee date. Although it has become easier to slip in a white lie here and there, it is much more difficult to do so in front of their son. Suddenly, Kazui's phone buzzes, and he quickly checks it. 

"Oi, Kazui-"

"Sorry, Dad, it's Ichika. We were gonna meet up to do some training today," Kazui says, quickly putting his phone while trying to finish the rest of his meal.

Now this, _this_ is where the truth seeps out.

Despite Orihime's deeply rooted suspicions about Ichigo's unwavering love for Rukia, not once has he made that apparent. He has always been a doting and loving husband, and throughout their entire marriage, Orihime has never seen Ichigo look regretful about loving her. One could argue that he really was in love with his wife and loved the life that he chose for himself.

But his Achilles heel has _always_ been to _protect._

Ever since the day Kazui asked his father for permission to train, Ichigo always looks remorseful when the topic is brought up. Whenever their son tells them about their day of training, Orihime sees the longing in Ichigo's expression for a life that he gave up so long ago. Orihime could only assume that he buried those feelings alongside the love he felt for Rukia. 

"Ah, of course. Please be safe and don't get back too late," Ichigo says, that sorrowful look slowly revealing itself. 

Orihime follows up by telling him, "Yes, be safe, darling. Please tell Ichika-san we said hello."

As soon as Kazui leaves, there is a beat of silence. 

"Ichigo?"

Her husband looks at her in confusion. It's rare for her to call him by his first name. 

Orihime gives him a wistful smile. "Would you like some tea? I wanted to tell you about my coffee date." 

Ichigo gives her an affectionate smile in return. "Of course."

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter !! @/romyavery


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